STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During
a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a
little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to
call
paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
They got
her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a
bit
shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.
Ingrid's
husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to
the
hospital - (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke
at the
BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps
Ingrid would
be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless
condition
instead.
It
only takes a minute to read this...
A
neurologist says that if he
can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the
effects of
a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized,
diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3
hours,
which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank
God for the sense to remember the "3" steps,
STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes
symptoms of a stroke are difficult to
identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The
stroke
victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to
recognize the
symptoms of a stroke.
Now
doctors say a bystander can recognize a
stroke by asking three simple questions:
S
*
Ask
the individual to SMILE.
T *
Ask
the person to TALK to SPEAK
A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(Coherently)
(i.e. . . It is sunny out
today)
R
*
Ask
him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
NOTE:
Another 'sign' of a stroke is
this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their
tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the
other
that is also an indication of a stroke. If
he or she has trouble with
ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately !! and describe the
symptoms to the dispatcher.